Checkpoint with forkhead and ring finger (CHFR) is a mitotic stress checkpoint gene whose promoter is frequently methylated in various kinds of cancer. In gastric cancer, CHFR promoter hypermethylation has been reported to lead to chromosome instability (CIN) and genetic instability is one of the hallmarks of human cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world with a high incidence and death rate. TNM staging system is used worldwide to predict prognosis and direct therapeutic decisions of patients with GC. However, the prognoses of patients with stage 2 and 3 GC are more heterogeneous and less predictable by staging criteria.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) that both initiate and modulate the immune response. DCs are cells in the pathway of antigen capture and presentation to T cells, with the unique ability to directly prime naïve CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.

In standard clinical settings, DNA microarrays are currently unsuitable for routine use. Prognostic classification on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues is required. In this study, we looked for new molecular markers for identifying the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

This study, performed by a team led by Professor Ya-Yi Hou, is described in a research article to be published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology on March 28, 2008.

Pepsinogen (PG) is a precursor for pepsin, a digestive enzyme specifically produced in the gastric mucosa. Human PG can be classified into two different biochemical and immunological properties, PGI and PGII. Serum PG levels seem to be related to the morphologic and functional changes in the stomach, and used as "serological biopsy."

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Although the prognosis of gastric cancer is known to be poor, the survival rate for those who receive operative treatment is increasing recently by virtue of early diagnosis and aggressive surgical intervention.